Flowers sets new leadership for Simple Mills

THOMASVILLE, GA. — Flowers Foods Inc. has named Michelle Lorge as president of Simple Mills, taking over from Katlin Smith, founder and chief executive officer of the better-for-you baked foods company.

An 11-year Simple Mills veteran, Lorge previously was chief marketing, innovation and mission officer. As president, she reports directly to A. Ryals McMullian, chairman and CEO of Thomasville-based Flowers, which finalized its $795 million deal to acquire Simple Mills in late February 2025.

Flowers said Smith “made a personal decision to step down to spend more time with her family and on philanthropic interests” and will stay on with the company as an adviser.

“Michelle has been instrumental in shaping Simple Mills into the mission-driven, high-growth brand it is today,” McMullian said. “Her deep understanding of the business, strong leadership skills and unwavering commitment to the company’s purpose make her exceptionally well-suited to lead Simple Mills into its next chapter. We are grateful to Katlin for her vision and leadership and look forward to her continued support in an advisory role.”

Founded in 2012, Chicago-based Simple Mills fields a product lineup that spans crackers, cookies, snack bars, pancake and waffle mixes, and baking mixes. In fiscal 2025, Simple Mills contributed $213.9 million in net sales to Flowers’ total net sales of $5.26 billion.

Flowers credited Lorge with building the Simple Mills brand alongside Smith, growing the company from an early-stage startup into a prominent baking and snack brand with distribution to more than 30,000 stores nationwide.

As chief marketing, innovation and mission officer at Simple Mills, Lorge led product innovation, built a “purpose-driven” marketing organization, and advanced wellness and sustainability initiatives that “have helped redefine industry standards,” according to Flowers. She joined Simple Mills in 2015 as one of its first employees, coming to the company after more than a decade at Kraft Foods, where she led brand marketing and product innovation for the Philadelphia, A.1., Grey Poupon and Cool Whip brands.

“I am honored to step into this role and continue the incredible work Katlin started,” Lorge said. “Simple Mills was founded on a belief that food can have a profound impact on human and planetary health, and that belief continues to inspire everything we do. I look forward to continuing to work with our talented team to advance our people and planet mission and broaden our impact to ignite meaningful change in the food industry and beyond.”

Under Smith’s leadership, Simple Mills grew into a category-leading brand sold at major grocery retailers such as Whole Foods Market, Sprouts Farmers Market, Target, Walmart and Costco Wholesale and established a strong e-commerce presence on Amazon, Flowers said, noting that she founded the business believing in the “transformative power of food in improving overall well-being.”

“Building Simple Mills has been one of the greatest privileges of my life,” Smith said. “Michelle has been by my side shaping Simple Mills for many years and is deeply aligned with the mission and values that define who we are. I have full confidence in her ability to lead Simple Mills into the future.”